The Bookcase Odyssey

You ever have one of those projects that just seems to go sideways from the start?  Sigh.  Home made chippy paint experiment #3.  You'd think I would have learned by now... but no, I'm a sucker for punishment.   Next up - my Ikea Markor bookcases.

It wasn't until I took this photo to show off my newly painted trim that it dawned on me - these bookcases look awful in this space!!

They were fabulous in my log home, but in this house that is rapidly becoming a tribute to Shabby Chic, they had to change.  Quick fix, I think to myself.  I'll use chippy paint & have the whole project done in 4 hours!

I emptied the contents of the bookcases and put everything on my dining room table.  I can't believe how much stuff I had in those bookcases!  It looked pretty sparse to me, but holy cow when, everything is loaded onto a single surface and towering halfway to the ceiling I start wondering if I shouldn't do some more purging.

I washed the bookcases down with TSP, swatting Maggie the cat out of the way every few minutes.  Maggie thinks she makes a very good supervisor, but I find her rather annoying at times.   I mixed the Plaster of Paris into some water and into a 2 cup container of  paint.  I made just enough paint, I thought, to do two coats but those bookcases really sucked that paint right in and I wound up having to mix up another batch to start the second coat of paint.   Even after that second coat, the paint seemed really blotchy and I began to lose hope of this being a quick and easy project.  It had taken me Friday evening and all day Saturday so far, more than three times as long as I figured it would and now it looked like I was about to spend all day Sunday working on it as well...

Then I saw Mimi's post on her fabulous French chair makeover - if you haven't seen it yet, click HERE.  I love this chair and the finish and then I got excited about my bookcases!!  I can do this in the same look and save the 3rd coat of paint.  So I began sanding.  I didn't sand nearly as much as Mimi did, but with a coat of Minwax Furniture Paste in the dark wax shade, the bookcases looked fabulous.

Bookcase on the left has a coat of wax, bookcase on the right does not.

Hard to tell from these photos, but you can take my word for it!  Once the wax has set up for half an hour and been buffed, the surface has a nice sheen that protects it from being scratched.  Then the reloading of the shelves begins!

Much better!

BEFORE

                                                                AFTER
Have a happy and creative week!

Linking to all these lovely parties :
Primative and Proper

the Shady Porch     the Stuff of Success

Domestically Speaking

Saavy Southern Style

DIY by Design

Faded Charm     Clean & Scentsible

homework

Not Just a House Wife     a bowl full of Lemons

Cedar Hill Ranch

Creatively Living     the House in the Roses

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Mod Vintage Life     Delectable Home

Coastal Charm

Serendipity and Spice

You're Talking too Much    DIY Showoff

Homemaker on a Dime

I heart Nap Time    It's Overflowing

It's so very Cheri
Classy Clutter     Serenity Now
Funky Junk Interiors
Jennifer Rizzo
Common Ground     the Brambleberry Cottage
Nutmeg Place
Finding Fabulous     Days of Chalk and Chocolate
the Grant Life     The Shabby Nest
From My Front Porch to Yours
Miss Mustard Seed     My Romantic Home
Chic on a Shoestring
Sassy Sites
My Repurposed Life
Simple Home Life     French Country Cottage
At the Picket Fence
Rooted in Thyme     Stuff & Nonsense
the Charm of Home     Shabby Creek Cottage     A Little Knick Knack